Data: Responsiveness and habituation to repeated sound exposures and pulse trains in blue mussels

Data abstract:

Time series data on the valve gape behaviour of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) that were exposured to sound treatments. Here, we provide the valve gape (time series data expressed in proportion open) of all mussels over the course of their trial and the timing of the sound exposures.

Paper abstract:

Anthropogenic sound has been shown to affect marine animals across taxa. However, bivalves and other invertebrates received limited attention and most studies across taxa focussed on immediate, rather than long-term, effects of sound. Most bivalves adopt a sessile or sedentary lifestyle and are therefore expected to be exposed to the same sounds for long periods or repeatedly. For this reason, bivalves are an especially relevant taxonomic group to study long-term effects of sound. In the current study, we examined whether blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) habituate to repeated sound exposures and whether they recover quicker from a single pulse exposure than from a pulse train. We equipped individual mussels with sensors to monitor valve gape and exposed them to repeated sound playback. We found that mussels responded to sound by partially closing their valves. This response was consistent and repeatable, but decayed over sequential exposures to the same sound stimulus, and was stronger again with exposure to a different sound. This pattern is clear evidence for acoustic habituation in a bivalve. Additionally, we found no differences in the initial response and recovery (time to return to baseline levels) between mussels that were exposed to single pulses and pulse trains. Our results therefore show that mussels are able to habituate to sound and suggest that mussels mostly respond to the onset of a pulse train. Future research is needed to determine whether mussels also habituate in situ to actual anthropogenic sound and whether a lack of a behavioural response also implies that other negative effects are also absent.

Paper reference:

Hubert, J., Booms, E., Witbaard, R., Slabbekoorn, H. (2022). Responsiveness and habituation to repeated sound exposures and pulse trains in blue mussels. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 547, 151668. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2021.151668